A folding knife is a type of knife that includes a handle and a blade pivotally attached to the handle. The blade is designed to swing out from the handle into the open position, and to remain folded into the handle when in the closed position.
A typical folding knife includes features to make the knife more useful and easier to operate. For example, these features may include a spring mechanism to assist the user in opening the knife. However, adding the spring mechanism to assist with opening the knife blade may also lead to the knife blade unintentionally swinging open when not intended. For example, when it is in the user's pocket or if the knife is accidentally dropped. This can lead to personal injury.
Prior attempts to address this shortcoming have been to include a locking mechanism to the folding knife in order to lock the knife blade in the closed position. However, the known locking mechanisms substantially increase the cost and complexity of manufacturing the folding knife. Accordingly, there is a need for a folding knife that includes a simplified feature to prevent the knife blade from unintentionally swinging open that does not increase the complexity or manufacturing costs.
It is, therefore, to the effective resolution of the aforementioned problems and shortcomings of the prior art that the present invention is directed.
However, in view of the prior art at the time the present invention was made, it was not obvious to those of ordinary skill in the pertinent art how the identified needs could be fulfilled.